Farro, Kale & Squash Salad

Farro

• ¾ cup farro
• 1½ cups water
• Pinch of salt

Squash

• 4 cups cubed butternut squash (½-inch)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Kale

• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 5 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt plus ⅛ teaspoon, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper plus ⅛ teaspoon, divided
• 1 bunch kale (about 8 ounces)
• 1¼ cups water, plus more as needed
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼ cup toasted pepitas

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

To prepare farro: Toast farro in a medium saucepan over medium heat until lightly fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1½ cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the farro is tender, 25 to 35 minutes. Drain, if necessary; fluff with a fork.

To prepare squash: Meanwhile, toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

To prepare kale: Combine 6 tablespoons oil, vinegar, garlic, shallot, mustard and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Separate kale leaves from stems. Slice the leaves crosswise into strips and add to the bowl. Massage the dressing into the leaves until the volume is reduced by half.
5Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kale stems and the remaining ⅛ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add ¼ cup water, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Repeat four or five more times, each time adding ¼ cup water and steaming for 2 minutes, until the kale stems are tender. Transfer to a cutting board and slice on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces.

To assemble: Stir the farro and squash into the kale salad; arrange on a platter. Serve topped with the kale stems, feta and pepitas.

Serves 6; 372 calories.

VERDICT: I should have made this in January/February, when the magazine came out--in May, it was a bit hot to have the oven on and farro and kale steaming away.  It turned out well enough, but was a fair amount of chopping and roasting for a Thursday night.  Keep for winter weekends?